When voters go to the polls July 31, they will be restoring the Savannah-Chatham public school board to staggered four-year terms.

Two years ago, State Rep. Mickey Stephens, a former school board member, passed legislation limiting local school board terms to two years. Board members lobbied successfully to have the law repealed in 2011.

When the polls close and the votes are tallied, the school board will be on its way back to its old schedule, with some two-year seats and some four-year seats to return to a process where all board seats are not up for grabs at the same time.

As no one is running against them, there will be at least five old faces returning to the board. President Joe Buck, Irene Gadson-Hines, Ruby Jones, Julie Wade and Shawn Kachmar are running unopposed. In order to restore their staggered election schedule Buck, Gadson-Hines, Kachmar and Jones are running for two-year terms. Wade’s new term will be four years.

This election could also be the start of significant change on the board. Two long-time board members are not seeking reelection, and two seats have been filled by interim replacements since the elected board members stepped down last year.

Depending upon election outcomes, it could become an entirely college-educated board or a majority black board. The board could also become overwhelmingly female, overwhelmingly male or loaded with former educators and members who have children enrolled in the system.

Here’s a look at the candidates in contested districts 2, 3, 6 and 7. All races are non-partisan. Winners will take office in 2013.

District 2

The Second District includes East Broad K-8, Shuman and Spencer elementary schools and Hubert Middle School. The district has had trouble holding on to representatives recently. Mickey Stephens stepped down to run for the legislature in 2008, and three years later Floyd Adams stepped down to run for mayor.

Dionne Hoskins was appointed to fill Adams’ seat 11 months ago. She is running for reelection against Danny Frazier and Malinda Hodge. Frazier held the seat from 2003 to 2006 and has been trying to get it back ever since. Hodge is the only District Two candidate with children in the system. The winner of the Second District race will serve a four-year term.

Dionne Hoskins (I)

Education: Beach High School graduate with a degree from Savannah State University and a doctorate of philosophy in marine sciences from the University of South Carolina.

Occupation: Fisheries biologist for NOAA fisheries and director of NOAA-sponsored programs at Savannah State University.

Hoskins has worked with local public school students for nearly a decade at a local marine science camp and was appointed to the board 11 months ago to complete the term of Floyd Adams, who stepped down to run for mayor. She wants to be elected to the board to be an advocate for the academic needs in the Second District. Her issues include:

Accessibility: “The public should feel as if they can call up their representative with their interests and they will be received.”

Accountability: “The district needs to be accountable for its decisions. That’s important, and it is a priority for me. We should be able to discuss and defend the decisions we make as individuals and as a board.”

Academic achievement: “We need to be looking at how every decision we make impacts academic achievement and how it benefits the greatest number of kids in our district. We need to know if what we are doing is supporting academic achievement for the greatest number of children in the district.”

Contact: hoskinsforschoolboard.wordpress.com

Danny Frazier

Education: Licensed Paraprofessional, Savannah High graduate

Occupation: Hotel manager and former Groves High in-school suspension coordinator.

Frazier represented District 2 from 2003 to 2006. Since losing his reelection bid, Frazier has attended board meetings and lobbied for appointments to serve after the seat was twice vacated by representatives who pursued another public office. Frazier resigned from his job at Groves High to qualify for the board. Here are his main issues:

Improving the quality of low-achieving schools: “We need to focus on schools that are not performing and target resources in areas that will ensure all students are well served and performing on grade level.”

Providing a safe environment: “Schools should employ campus monitors again to help deter violent and inappropriate behavior on campus. It would allow teachers to remain in their classrooms and focus on instruction.”

Increase parental involvement: “We have to make our schools inviting to parents. Many parents want to be involved but feel like they get the cold shoulder when they come into schools. I would encourage procedures for meaningful parental involvement.”

Contact: Frazier520@aol.com

Malinda J. Hodge

Education: Enrolled in bachelor degree program in marketing at Savannah State University, Savannah High graduate

Occupation: Full-time student, stay-at-home mom and event coordinator

Hodge decided to move her four children out of private school, enroll them in the public system and stay at home to provide extra academic support. Through her involvement in local elementary, middle and high schools, Hodge developed a desire to be a voice for parents and a force for her district. Here are her main issues:

Improve community relations: “Everyone should be vested in public education, whether they have kids in the system or not. People all over the world love this city, and the public school system needs to match the image the city has.”

Increase global competitiveness: “If all our kids know is the world they’ve been exposed to, they won’t have the motivation to achieve anything beyond what they know. I want our students to be prepared to think and compete beyond the limits of their neighborhoods.”

Providing resources: “Schools need the resources necessary to achieve their goals. The board needs to make an effort to ensure that the schools have resources and are using them to achieve academic goals for their students.”

The Third District will replace Alexander Luten, who held that seat for six years before stepping down for health reasons. The district includes Myers, Low and Thunderbolt, Jenkins, Johnson and Savannah High schools and residents are calling for a strong leader to represent their academic needs.

Connie Hall, a retired South Carolina principal, was appointed to fill the seat five months ago. She faces opposition from a veteran Savannah educator, Gertrude Robinson, and a young businessman, Jabari Bryant. The winner of the Third District race will serve a four-year term.

Connie Hall (I)

Education: Undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois, graduate degree from Roosevelt University, education leadership certification from Georgia Southern University and the University of South Carolina.

Occupation: Retired principal and teacher

Hall was appointed to complete the term of District 3 board member Alexander Luten in February. She is a veteran teacher and administrator with 40 years of experience in public education. Here are her main issues:

Increase Early Childhood Education focus: “I think the achievement gap would dissipate if we put our resources up front so when they start kindergarten we don’t have kids who don’t know their letters, while others are starting to read.”

Start planning for students’ academic goals in middle grades: “Whether it’s technical, workforce preparation, college preparation or a combination, we need to make sure kids are prepared for whatever they choose to do in the future.”

Improved teacher pay and training: “We need to be offering all kinds of stimulating courses so teachers will be competent and confident in the subjects they’re teaching. And if we want top quality teaching, we need to offer better pay and create an environment that will attract the best and brightest.”

Contact: 912-596-9414

Jabari Bryant

Education: Bachelor of finance and political science from Georgia State

Occupation: Director of the nonprofit organization Today for Tomorrow

Bryant ran unsuccessfully for school board in 2010 but continues to seek the seat because he believes he can bring new life and commitment to Third District schools. Here are his main issues:

Increased academic performance, primarily in high schools: “We should be raising expectations, partnering with agencies that mentor and provide academic services and providing teachers the resources they need to achieve their goals in the classroom.”

Increased transparency: “I want to inform the schools and the community before we finalize the decisions that impact them. We need to be more transparent in all things, especially in the process for bidding ESPLOST and other contracts. That would create clarity and reduce friction.”

Increased accountability: “We should hold everyone accountable, not just teachers — the students and district level staff as well. Shifting people to a new department doesn’t help. The board has to be willing to terminate bad employees and administrators have to be willing to support the disciplinary concerns of teachers.”

Contact: www.electjabaribryant.weebly.com

Gertrude Robinson

Education: Bachelor of arts and master of business administration degrees from Savannah State University, educational doctorate from South Carolina State University, Ph.D in Divinity and a D.M. in Christian Counseling from Jacksonville Theological Seminary

Occupation: Retired principal and teacher

Before retiring last year, Robinson was principal of Early College, one of the district’s most successful high school programs She wants to use her experience and knowledge to represent the interests of the community. Her issues include:

Representing the public’s best interest: “I will represent the parents who may not be up on academic terminology but want their children to excel and stakeholders who believe a public education system should prepare students for the workforce and transmit values and nurture human development and create an aware and informed citizenry.”

Good stewardship: “I will represent the taxpayers supporting public education; those who may not have school age children or whose children are not a part of the system; people who don’t mind investing in public education but feel frustrated because they believe they are not getting a good return on their investment.”

Representing committed educators: “I am running to represent the competent and committed teachers, administrators and staff who love our children and who work days, nights and weekends to ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn at a high level.”

Lori Brady stepped down from her Sixth District school board seat after 16 years. The district includes Windsor Forest High, Windsor Forest Elementary, White Bluff, Largo-Tibet, Bartlett, Georgetown and Southwest middle and elementary schools.

The task of representing the district will either go to retired educator and teacher union representative Alfreda Goldwire or retired lawman and Brady’s dad, Larry Lower. To restore the board’s staggered four-year term schedule in 2014, the winner will serve a two-year term.

For 13 years Goldwire has attended school board meetings and addressed the board on behalf of teachers and other school employees. She retired this year. Here are her main issues:

Ensuring the district is fair and accessible to children, employees and parents: “Teachers and classroom workers should be more involved in the decisions that impact the classroom. All stakeholders need to have a place at the table to ensure more than a handful is receiving quality instruction.”

Increasing resources in pre-kindergarten through third-grade to ensure children have a firm foundation: “If we provide all the necessary resources needed to build a firm foundation in these early grades students will succeed as they progress through the system.”

Support instruction and curriculum that has a clear focus, create environments with minimal distractions and build a united, respectful effort between educators, parents and the community for the sake of all students: “We have to go where the people are if we want them to buy in and take part.”

Lower hopes to bring his insight, business experience and tenacity to the board. Here are his main issues:

Getting constituents involved: “Very few people get input into what government says they’re going to do for them. That’s true of the board of education. To get more support from the ground they need to get that input up front. I want to be their voice, get to know their issues and bring them to the board.”

Flush out how we can really give children the skills they need and address it: “Students graduating now are not prepared to go out and get a job, even unskilled jobs. Turnover is tremendously high. We’re not preparing young ones — even for the few unskilled jobs that are available.”

Finances: “We really have to look at finances in a business way. Prove what you’re spending money on is going to be effective, not just some dream program, and have goals. If the goals aren’t met, no matter how popular it is, it needs to go.”

Contact: voteforlarrylower.com

District 7

After six years as the Seventh District representative, Julie Gerbsch announced she would not run for reelection to the school board. Two newcomers — Jay Melvin and Jennifer Lambeth — are running for the seat. But because of recent district changes, neither actually lives within District 7 anymore. Although the winner will be allowed to serve out the four-year term, all candidates will have to live within the new boundary lines to run for the seat in 2016. Both Melvin and Lambeth said they are willing to move.

Jay Melvin

Education: Doctor of Dental Medicine and Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the Medical College of Georgia, undergraduate degree in biology from University of Georgia and graduate of Groves High

Occupation: Dentist

Melvin, a lifelong resident of west Chatham County, moved his three children into the public school system when Godley Station School opened two years ago. He is active in the community and his children’s schools. Here are his main issues:

Keep taxes as low as possible: “The 14.631 millage rate dwarfs what the municipalities pay in property taxes. They’re taking a lot of tax money for the public school system — whether or not you have kids in the system … We need to make sure we’re being good stewards and getting value for our money.”

Provide options: “There should be diverse athletic and academic opportunities in neighborhood schools, and we should strive to make them thrive because they serve the bulk of our students.”

Contact: jaymelvinlistens.com

Jennifer Bugna Lambeth

Education: Bachelor of Arts in English from Armstrong Atlantic State University, Master of English Literature from Georgia Southern University

Occupation: Administrative assistant

Lambeth is a former Providence Christian School teacher. She is running for school board to ensure students get more technical and apprenticeship training in high school so they can get jobs and not be solely reliant upon loans to cover college tuition costs. Her issues include:

Innovative approaches to learning: “I want to create more out-of-the-box approaches to learning. There should be more online learning for students who need remediation or advancement and alternative methods like Montessori so students with different learning styles can progress at their own speed.”

Keep promises to taxpayers: “It’s important to reduce waste as much as possible and to avoid increasing financial strain on tax payers.”

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